The Division: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
by RCenthusiast
Summary: The Strategic Homeland Division; or 'The Division' in short. Their motto: "Extremis Malis Extrema Remedia", "Desperate times call for desperate measures". Agent Davis Lee is part of this agency. The overall objective? Take back New York City and restore government control by any means necessary. With prevalent chaos, will his training be enough to shore up the defences?
1. Prologue

**A/N: This Prologue is taken from one of The Division trailers. I know other stories may have used this as well, but I have added a little bit onto that to keep things interesting. (too bad pictures can't be uploaded into stories...) I will most likely be following the game's storyline from a first-person perspective and add in more plot details from things like side quests and such whenever I can.**

 **Please read and review! Constructive criticism will be appreciated!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Tom Clancy's: The Division. That right belongs to Ubisoft. Everything mentioned in this story is for entertainment purposes only.**

 **EDIT 3 March 2016: Changed text alignment to left. Thanks to enji-benjy**

* * *

In 2001, a real-world exercise tested the emergency response to a bio-terror attack on the continental United States; the operation was called 'Dark Winter'. Within just a few days, the simulation spiralled out of control. The operation predicted a raped breakdown in the essential institutions, civil disorder and massive civilian casualties.

Dark Winter has revealed how vulnerable we've become; our lifestyle, our security, our safety, it depends on a delicate and unstable economy. We've created a system so complicated that we no longer understand how to control it; oil, power, shipping, transport - we live in a complex world, and the more complex it gets, the more fragile it becomes. The system is built on a global supply chain that gets things where they're needed, just in time. We've created a house of cards, if we remove just one, then everything falls apart.

And what's fuelling this system?

Money.

Americans can spend $90 billion in a single day of shopping. Last year, 200 million people swarmed their local stored on November 23. We call that day 'Black Friday'.

Did you know a flu virus can survive on the surface of a banknote for up to 17 days?

One day, there will be a pandemic. It could begin during the crush of Black Friday sales. A pathogen will jump from tainted bank notes to human skin, onto food, toys, children and loved ones. By the time patient zero feels the first sore throat, millions of people will already be infected.

From this point, the break-down will happen fast:

Day 1: Hospitals will reach capacity, panic will strike

Day 2: Quarantine zones will be established, resources will be rationed, transport will go into lock down.

Day 3: International Trade will stop, the oil will dry up, the stock market will collapse

Day 4: The power will fail, the shelves will be empty, the taps will run dry and once hunger and despair take hold, people will do anything for survival.

By Day 5: Everyone will be a potential threat.

In 2007, a new presidential directive was signed quietly into law, this maps out the government's response to a crisis, a plan to cope with the real Dark Winter. It is known as Executive Directive 51.

There are rumours of shadow agencies, sleeper cells, covert agents. But nothing can be confirmed.

Our complex world is prime for breakdown, and once the chaos strikes, there won't be resources to save us all.

The only question left is, what will it take to save what remains?

* * *

The Strategic Homeland Division; or called 'The Division' in short.

A stay-behind force of sleeper agents trained to be activated and operate in times of crisis if and when the United States Government and its relevant wings and departments ceased to function on a national scale.

The main difference between the Division and any other agency, organization or department is that the Division is a last resort measure. As such, the members of the Division supersede any other operative, agent or federal employee in the field. They have a form of executive power and answer directly to the President.

Simply put, the Division is intended to ensure the continuity of government in the case of a catastrophic emergency. To do this, the Division has three branches – Analytics, Strategic and Tactical operations

Aided by their skills, advanced technology and the will to fight, Division Agents are prepared to restore order and save lives; by any means necessary.

Their motto, which is an integral part of the SHD logo, is "Extremis Malis Extrema Remedia", which means "Desperate times call for desperate measures".

Now, is the time.

Welcome to New York


	2. Emergency Transmission: Please Stand By

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Tom Clancy's: The Division. That right belongs to Ubisoft. Everything mentioned in this story is for entertainment purposes only.**

 **EDIT 3 March 2016: Changed text alignment to left. Thanks to enji-benjy.**

* * *

\- Please Stand By -

This is an emergency transmission to all Division agents in and around New York city.

The smallpox pandemic has reached critical levels. All government and linked federal departments and agencies save for a few have collapsed. On the authority of the President of the United States of America, Executive order 51 is now in effect.

The Strategic Homeland Division is now Operational.

All Division agents are to report to any Joint Task Force (JTF) personnel within the area and link up with other agents at Camp Hudson, located at the Hudson Piers. You have been trained and equipped to handle this type of scenario over the years; Now is the time to use it.

Our overall objective is clear: Take back New York City and restore order on behalf of the government by any means necessary.

Your authority and security clearance has henceforth been upgraded and supersedes any other operative, agent and/or federal employee in the field.

Before moving out, make sure you have your standard issue weapons and equipment that was handed out to you before your inactivation:

1\. SHD armband with logo with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tag

2\. Go-Bag with

3\. Integrated augmented reality contact lenses

4\. Smartwatch with communication device

5\. Holographic map software

6\. Evidence Correlation Holographic Overlay (ECHO) software

Upon hearing this transmission, you have been deemed as activated under law and the RFID tag in your armband will be activated to broadcast your signal to other friendly agents in the field on our secure network.

The citizens of New York are counting on you.

Take back New York City, and remember our motto:

"Desperate times call for desperate measures"

\- End Transmission -


	3. Camp Hudson

**A/N: Like I said, as I am following the game's storyline, many readers who have played the game will definitely be not a stranger to the key plot scenes. What I intend to do is fill the gap that Ubisoft left behind with the 'silent protagonist' character. Additionally, I will also try to delve into character development and relationships between Davis and others. I personally think this post is too short compared to normal fics, so I'll try to make future posts longer.**

 **Please Read and review! Constructive criticism/advice will be most appreciated!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Tom Clancy's: The Division. That right belongs to Ubisoft. Everything mentioned in this story is for entertainment purposes only.**

 **EDIT 02 March 2016: Added more character and background story details.** **Thanks to enji-benjy.**

* * *

 **V-Day +10, 0732 Hours. Somewhere over Manhattan, New York...**

"Hey, Just hold on!"

My ears were ringing, I felt disoriented and felt like throwing up. The violent shaking didn't help much either as I struggled to keep my eyes open. There was a lady in front of me rummaging through something. What was her name again? Fin? Fett? No... Faye? Yeah that's it, Faye Lau. I shook my head as I was beginning to regain bits and pieces of my more recent memories. Something knocked me out cold and I was lucky to be alive somehow. Faye? Not so much, seeing the state of her head wounds. My thoughts were interrupted when I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my gut and the sound of hissing. immediately, my vision began to clear and the throbbing in my head stopped.

"Come on back Agent Davis! I need you!" The woman I recalled as Faye called out to me over the whirring engines of a helicopter. The epiphany hit me, then I knew where I was at that moment. I was in a helicopter with Agent Faye Lau en route to the Hudson Piers of New York City. I found the strength to push myself up in a sitting position and subsequently glanced at the armband that was on my right shoulder. The Strategic Homeland Division, or the SHD or the 'Division' in short. Long story short, somehow my service and skills in the military and subsequent desk job managing human resources in the private sector got me a special invitation to the covert government agency and they trained me for the exact situation we were in. Taking a deep breath, I scoffed to myself; Not even a day into the field and we already got off to a bad start. I caught Faye glancing at me with a concerned look.

"Look, You're gonna be okay." She quipped with a humourless chuckle, "Hell, at this point you're more okay than me!"

"Yeah, I know." I replied, a better look at Faye made me cringe. She was of asian descent, had a buzzcut hair and angular face. Her forehead as well as her right eye and cheek were bloodied and bandaged together with a splint on her leg. "Damn, you look like shit. But thanks for the stimpack there. That explosion knocked me out like a light!"

"Well I couldn't just do nothing can I? We need the manpower for fuck's sake! Shit... and that fucking explosion took out the commander."

The news hit me like a ton of bricks as Faye reluctantly gave me the gory details: We were supposedly headed out to Hudson piers with another helicopter of which our group leader plus another agent were in. Somehow, we were travelling over what was called 'The Dark Zone' until a rocket came out of nowhere from one of the high-rise buildings and struck the other helicopter before heavy small arms fire engulfed ours. Since the heli's were civilian types, there wasn't anything we could do until we realised at the last minute. Needless today, our JTF pilot was slightly more skilled and managed to manoeuvre us out of the way and out to safety, but not before I was knocked out cold by the initial explosion and Faye was grazed by a bullet to the head and accidentally fell and fractured her left leg during one of the pilots more aggressive evasive manoeuvres. Luckily, my safety harnesses stopped me from flying out into thin air. The pilot subsequently placed the helicopter on autopilot and patched up Faye.

"So what's the plan?" I blurted, "The commander was supposed to brief us along the way until we got hit by whatever that was just now."

I could tell Faye was just as conflicted about what to do as I was. From what we knew, the broader objective was to take back New York City and restore order. But the specifics? Damned if we knew, since the only person with the information had burst into flames.

"We have a job to do." She replied, a flash of hesitation in her eyes which was quickly overcome by determination. "We're still gonna do it. It's just..."

"Landing in one minute!" The helicopter pilot called out to us, interrupting Faye. "You should be able to see it coming up on my right."

Both of us looked out towards the direction the pilot stated. The morning sun shone brightly in the clear sky behind us which illuminated the devastation and chaos that was New York in the middle of winter; snow covered buildings and roads, broken down vehicles and burning buildings. It was a deeply disturbing and depressing sight. Fuck... how are we going to fix something like this by ourselves?

"I found out more a little more about the first wave from Division HQ before we left." Faye explained, "They're all either dead or MIA. Either something or someone is giving us a helluva challenge against our authority and our efforts, so this is up to us. That's why we need to get it together. Right now!"

I nodded in response. Now wasn't the time to be moping. We were Division agents and we had our orders from HQ: Restore order by any means necessary.

"JTF six-eight to tower, visual Hudson..." The pilot radioed as the helicopter began its descent to land. "Yeah, two Division agents on board. That explosion was their ride in... Okay, clear to land. JTF six-eight over and out."

"Usually you need some time to know if you can count on someone." Faye exclaimed while she checked the ammo on her standard issue M9 pistol, "But we're out of time - my bet's on you. It has to be. I hope to God I'm right."

"Don't worry." I replied with a grin, "We're Division agents, we're supposed to count on each other."

The bump signalled the helicopters land and two other JTF personnel rushed in as I supported my fellow agent down to the ground. One, obviously a para-medic with the med-kit, attended to Faye while the other approached me.

"Welcome to Hudson Piers!" He greeted, "I'm not sure what you're looking to get out of this. Everything behind this gate is a god damned war-zone!"

"Who's in command here?" enquired Faye.

"Captain Benitez was in charge." The paramedic replied, "He was leading ops in the Post Office, but we lost contact when he left base this morning! If he's still radio silent tomorrow, there's talk of pulling out."

"No one's pulling out!" she yelled over the engines, "We're taking this city back! Davis! Get whatever gear you need. I'll catch up with you."

"Good luck! You'll need it!" The other JTF personnel exclaimed.

I nodded in response and turned towards the sprawling tentages. Camp Hudson, it was called. It was one of two outposts; the other being the post office, that was managed by the Joint Task Force, or JTF for short. A conglomeration of whatever personnel remained of the city's National Guard, Police, Fire and medical services. If what the men said was true, then I realised that our work was cut out for us. With this Captain Benitez missing, it was most probable that the whole system could have collapsed completely if we arrived a couple of days later. As a couple more paramedics with stretchers ran past me, I took a deep breath and double checked my equipment.

Standard M4A1 Carbine with sufficient ammo? Check. MP5 sub-machinegun? Check. M9 Service pistol? Check.

Integrated augmented reality interface contact lenses together with a smartwatch communication device? Check.

Even from the day I graduated the Division Agent Conversion Course till now I almost couldn't believe the tech that I was given as standard issue. The contact lenses allowed me to view real time tactical and data analytics, boasted friend-foe recognition systems and even displayed a 3D holographic map in which my contacts lenses could display points of interests and set waypoints. It was also connected to a secure local data network only for Division agents, but we could also intercept other radio traffic as well if required. All in all, it was something straight out of a science fiction novel! Another fascinating capability was the ECHO or Evidence Correlation Holographic Overlay system, which consists of data mined from phone calls, surveillance cameras as well as discarded smartphones to paint a 3D holographic picture of prior moments with audio recordings if applicable. I knew the basic functions, but I surmised that I could look more into the details later.

It was pretty obvious to me that both Faye and I wouldn't be able to do this alone. There were bound to be more agents out there and I hoped to find them soon. It couldn't be too hard, given that our SHD armbands had a built in RFID chip that broadcasted a signal so that we would know when and where fellow agents were around. After double checking my Go-bag for essential supplies and face-masks in case of airborne contaminants, I set out towards the camp with the first objective in mind: Find whoever is currently acting-in-charge of this shit hole.


	4. Sitrep

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I hope the length of the chapter is much more optimal compared to the rest. I'll try to make it the standard length so I can pace myself. I wasn't exactly pleased myself how some of the conversations with certain characters went, but I hope that I managed to add depth to the story for those who have played the game. For those who haven't, I hope it is enough depth already. If there are any typos, or plot holes that you guys find, do let me know in the reviews so I can change them if I can and I'll credit you for it too! Thanks!**

 **Please Read and review! Constructive criticism/advice will be most appreciated!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Tom Clancy's: The Division. That right belongs to Ubisoft. Everything mentioned in this story is for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

If there was one recurring theme that echoed throughout the atmosphere, it was despair and hopelessness; Lots of it. As the medics attended to Agent Faye, I decided to talk to some of the JTF members in the immediate area and get some perspective on the current situation before heading straight to whoever was currently in charge of the camp. I spotted two of them to my left and decided to go for it, but not before overhearing their conversation a little.

One of them was sitting on a crate, his bearded, Caucasian face pale and looked like he was about to have an asthma attack from the way he was breathing deep and hunched over. The other; African-American, was kneeling in front of him.

"Hey, Dodson. Hey hey!" He exclaimed, placing a comforting hand on his fellow JTF member. "Stay with me man. Now, look at me. Damn it! Look at me; in the eyes. We're going to get through this, ya hear me?"

Dodson, however, didn't seem to be responding to any of his questions and seemed to be on the verge of hysteria. "D-Did you see that, Jonesy? Did you even fucking see that? Oh my fucking god!"

"Come on," This Jonesy comforted, "We're safe now."

That conversation sparked a little interest. "Um, excuse me. Jonesy, is it?" I enquired.

Said personnel glanced at me before looking back at his disheveled colleague before standing up and facing me. "It's Sergeant Manny Jones. New York National Guard, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment. Who's asking?" He sounded apprehensive.

"Agent Lee Davis." I replied, sticking out my hand and giving what I hoped to be a warm and disarming smile, in hopes of breaking the ice a little. "Strategic Homeland Division. Just arrived in that chopper with my partner. We're here to support JTF operations and help in any way we can."

And take over operations if required, but I wasn't going to say that. Last thing I wanted was for Faye and I to be labelled as 'those government types'. It was bad enough that the state government was effectively non-existent and the only person who was in charge of the JTF managed to hold them together as a somewhat cohesive organization without any sort of higher authority to take directions from. In other words, they had survived pretty much without government intervention and if they felt threatened by us, it would be a long hard road to get their cooperation.

"Charmed." He responded, shaking my hand. "Welcome to Camp Hudson. As you can see it's not much, not like last time from what I heard, but we're surviving."

"Well I'm pretty sure you guys are doing a helluva job." I complimented. "I apologize, but actually I overheard your conversation with Dodson here. What is it exactly that you guys saw?"

Dodson flinched at the question and seemed to hug himself tighter. Jones, however, sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It was the cleaners."

"Cleaners?" I enquired.

"You don't know? Thought you would have been briefed on the way here. A group of disillusioned pyromaniacs is what they are. From what I heard, these guys were former sanitation workers; Garbage men, janitors, custodians and the like. Armed with whatever guns they owned before shit hit the fan. But what's worse are their flamethrowers. Lost all hope as well as any shred of human decency. Their leader's Joe Ferro, and he's had them obsessively convinced that the only way to save this city from the virus is to burn everything down, including the people still living in it. We got a really good look at what that's like an hour ago."

I blanched at the implications. "Oh God, you don't mean…"

"Yeah, exactly. Dodson and I were doing a routine patrol with two others around Tenderloin. Usually it's all just looters and rioters who'll flee at the sight of anyone with a JTF uniform; unless they have us outnumbered. Next thing we knew, we stumbled across a group of about ten of them with some civilians. Apparently they were judged as infected and thus to be exterminated along with the virus. They forced them into a boarded up house, locked them in and just… let loose"

I stayed silent as the soldier visibly attempted to fight back the tears which threatened to spill from his eyes. I couldn't sympathize since I didn't see it for myself, horrible as it may have seemed to my imagination.

"We tried to stop them." He continued, "we really did. Even if it was just the four of us, we knew we couldn't let those people die. But unlike gangs, these people were different. The moment we came into view and ordered them to stop, they started firing immediately. Small arms fire was simply too much and they kept us too suppressed to stop them from blazing the entire house. By the time they withdrew, it was too late for us to do anything… the screams coming from that house, I think it'll stay with us for the rest of our lives, man."

I nodded in acceptance. Sergeant Jones was obviously one of the more level headed men in the JTF and was taking the incident pretty well all things considered. However, if these cleaners were to be neutralized, then there needed to be some re-strategizing in terms of equipment and manpower.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." I apologized. "I know having two agents with one injured isn't much, but I promise that we'll do whatever it takes to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

"It's alright. That's everything anyone asks for these days."

"Before I go, could you point to me the direction of who's in charge here?"

"Lieutenant Blake is your man. Just head through the decontamination tent to the other side and turn left."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Good luck out there."

I turned away from the two personnel, now enlightened by New York's current events. So in addition to the normal gangs that looted and pillaged randomly across the city, now there was this group of organized flamethrower wielding psycho's intent on literally burning the city to the ground. Things weren't looking good, so I sped up my pace towards the decontamination tent. I overheard another conversation as I passed by another couple of JTF personnel.

"This is bullshit!" Exclaimed one of them, "We can't just leave Manhattan. My brother and his whole family? They live up in the heights."

"I know man," replied the other, "and it's bad. It's real bad. And to just give up and take off, you know. I mean, what does it even say about us?"

I decided to continue passing them by. From what I gleaned form that conversation, at least the morale of men on the ground wasn't broken, not by a long shot. Most of them most probably still had friends and family; a bond to New York and would do almost anything to see it restored. At least if we could do something and instill some semblance of hope, it would make for a great foundation for the JTF. God knows the JTF needs more manpower to combat the cleaners at this stage.

I was greeted by a lone personnel wearing a yellow HAZMAT suit as I entered the decontamination tent. "You need to step through here pal. Gotta make sure you're clean. This virus is equal opportunity."

"Yup, we know that much by now." I replied. The whole procedure was relatively quick, probably just a few minutes of being blasted by disinfectants and ultraviolet light from head to toe. I was surprised that they still managed to have their biohazard facilities up and running with all that's happened. Once I got to the other side of the tentage it seemed clear that faith in JTF wasn't that high to begin with. It was clear by the lack of civilians aimlessly walking around that showed just how much confidence the people had to be under their protection.

A memorial wall was situated on my right, full of missing person's notices, gifts, flowers, candles and the like. A few people, both civilian and JTF were standing there in remembrance and appreciation. Turning left, I saw a few other tentages; a mess, clinic, supply depot and a radio station. Surmising that the camp commandant would usually be near communications I guessed that the radio station also acted as the command tent. Since there weren't any guards outside, I opened the flap and strolled right in… to an argument.

"Look sir, I don't know how you guys did it in the police department. But in the military, we respond to acts of aggression against us with a counter-attack. We need to get out there, find them and neutralize the threat!" The disgruntled, middle-aged Caucasian man in National Guard uniform practically yelled at the other much younger Caucasian male, who I guessed was Lieutenant Blake of the New York Police Department if his navy blue uniform and jacket was any indication.

"And who, pray tell, is going to lead this folly called a 'counter-attack'?" The police officer replied, albeit in more control of his emotions.

"If no one else, then I will. Along with others I know who would rather go out there and get the bastards rather than sit here and waiting for some young upstart of an incompetent, laissez faire officer to get things done." The older man sneered.

I simply stood at the back of the tent and said nothing. If the young NYPD officer noticed my presence, he didn't show it on his face nor did his eyes even glanced towards my position since the fact he was facing towards the tent entrance would be very obvious.

"And how many men will that be Sergeant Morris?" Blake snapped. "You do realize that this isn't just a purely military organization, this is called a Joint Task Force for a reason! And if we are to survive, all branches under the JTF need to work together. If we don't have enough of National Guard men manning the posts to our camp, the post office and the checkpoints we would be opening ourselves to attack! Looters and pillagers? They are an inevitable side effect of this chaos and are practically a thorn in our side! Yes, they may be a threat, but you have to understand that these are ordinary civilians who turned to such ways due to desperation. If we go about shooting every god damned suspected looter or gang member, then we are no better than the cleaners! And don't get me started on them as well! All we know about them are that they are highly organized and have more destructive firepower than we do at the moment. We do not know their base of operations, nor do we have the capabilities to come up with any shred of reliable intel. Actively searching for them with hunting parties while donning our jolly bright green vests on is just attracting unwanted attention!"

"But…" The soldier identified as Sergeant Morris began, but was cut off.

"No 'buts' Sergeant! This is the tenth time you come into my tent ranting and raving about things that you don't know about! We do not have the resources or the manpower to mount such an operation. We are stretched thin enough as it is and we don't know if we're getting any more men or supplies to continue for the long haul, and this is on top of our humanitarian and medical operations as well! But let me say this Sergeant, we are not pulling out until Captain Benitez orders otherwise if that means anything to you! Now if you have nothing else better to say, then get the hell out of my sight, Sergeant!"

Tactically, this man gave me everything I needed to know about the situation, albeit in a general sense but enough to formulate some strategy. Personally, I liked this guy already!

The National Guardsman grunted unintelligibly and showed himself out the tent, but not before brushing past me and knocking my shoulder. Asshole…

It was then that I decided to make myself known. "Lieutenant Blake?" I stepped forward, "Agent Lee Davis, Strategic Homeland Division. Just came in together with Agent Faye Lau."

"Yes, Agent Davis." He replied, "My condolences. I heard about your team when you guys were en route. Another helicopter down is going to be hard for us unless we can obtain another one, and I don't think that's gonna come by anytime soon. Captain Benitez would have known what to do, but we can't reach him at the moment."

"It's alright officer, not your fault. I take it Captain Benitez is missing?

"Yeah. He's the one who's supposed to be in charge of this shithole. Left this morning from the post office with a few other guardsmen and officers. Said something about obtaining supplies and intel somewhere close to the dark zone. A couple hours later and his radio goes dark. Never heard anything from him since."

"And how's everything holding up at your end?"

"From what you've most likely overheard, and yes I noticed you coming in, we got jack squat. We got no men or supplies coming in other from what we can loot from our patrols, our checkpoints are too spread out and too many undesirables are filtering into what is supposed to be our territory, Gangs and cleaners are taking pot shots at us from afar. In short, if we keep this up, we're fucked. But I can't tell that to everyone. God knows our morale's at its worst right now."

"What about the Military camps around the area?"

"If there are any still operational, they're not responding on any frequency. So we have to assume the worst and that the infection wiped them out."

I grimaced inwardly. The situation could have been worse. "Well, we need to start from somewhere. I believe I can get the supplies you need. If we can set up a base of operations here for the SHD, then we can get radio contact with our headquarters and get a supply line running. In the meantime, you guys just hold the line and don't make any excursions out of your territory on your own."

Lieutenant Blake nodded, "That's exactly what I intend to do. We're pulling back our forces and maintaining this camp, Chelsea and a few blocks around the post office. That should give us a smaller perimeter to defend and contain any undesirables we have within. I suggest you guys set up at the post office, its less than a click away from here, there's a satellite dish up on the roof top if you can get it working and it's a central area to get anywhere else. If you need any more info on what's happening around the area you can go see Marion Hamplestein. She mans the local radio post just outside my tent."

Okay that was a start. I thanked the officer, who grunted in acknowledgement before I left. Feeling the morning cold breeze again, I made my way to the radio post. From the looks, Marion Hamplestein seemed to be a middle-aged brunette who had seen better days. The bags under her eyes and her bunned up hair made her all the more tired.

"Um, Marion Hamplestein?" I began, "Agent Lee Davis."

"From the SHD right?" She replied, taking a sip of coffee from her mug. For some reason, she stood up from her seat and placed her gloved hands on my cheeks, as if examining me further. "Oh agent, you look tired. I heard about what happened this morning. I hope you and your partner are alright." She mothered.

"Yeah, don't worry. We're trained for this kind of situation. I'm sure my partner will be up and running in no time." I chuckled. "Say, Lieutenant Blake directed me to you. He said if you knew anything more about current events in the neighborhood, you would know."

She sighed, "Well, look. I hate to be the one to tell you, but we got so much to do here. They got me doing this radio business cause' I got the sciatica. So tell you what, you can count on me if there are any emergency transmissions that I get which are near your location and I'll give you whatever info you need, honey."

"Thanks ma." I grinned good naturedly, as she lightly punched my shoulder in jest. It was heartwarming to see someone in uniform so motherly. "I've gotta get to the post office. See you around!" I waved.

"Okay, take care out there! And remember, wool is best for this weather, not synthetics!" She added.

I turned towards the exit of the camp that led to the Chelsea neighborhood when a crackling sound emanated from my radio earpiece and a familiar voice patched through.

"Agent Davis, can you hear me?" It was Faye.

"Yeah I hear you loud and clear!" I replied. "You okay? They didn't take the earpiece off of you?"

"Tell me about it." She groaned. "I had to fight them off for fifteen minutes before they relented. So what's the sitrep?"

I relayed to her the information I had gotten so far.

"Huh. Figures. It's a good idea to pull back though." She agreed, "Once we consolidate our resources and set up that satcom we can call in more supplies and reinforcements, assuming HQ has any. I'm still not in a ready enough condition to move, that's what the medics say but I'm gonna hound them to make me better ASAP. You go on ahead. I'll meet you at the post office."

After ending the conversation and wishing her well, I made a move towards the next set of decontamination tentages that lead to the exit of camp Hudson. As I walked, there was the only recurring them in my mind:

This was going to be one hell ass long of a day. God fucking damn it all.


	5. Into the frying pan

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for making you guys wait so long. Life's being a bitch an all with work so I'm trying to find time at each end of the day to write each chapter bit by bit. Again, I apologise if the chapter is short. My attention span is not very long and my ideas are always fleeting so I can only write for short bursts at a time before hitting a micro-writer's block. But there are some issues in which I need your opinions on:**

 **1\. When I posted the first few chapters, The Division wasn't out yet. So I didn't know there would be a tutorial section where we were able to play and do missions in Brooklyn before going to Camp Hudson proper as well as how Faye and Davis got hit by the explosion. I did say before that I would do my best to stick close to the plot in this game. So do let me know in the reviews if I should add a couple more chapters in the beginning so as to make up for the plot as well as edit the previous chapters to stick close to the main story.**

 **2\. There are some abilities that I may remove completely or modify due to it being unrealistic. For example, the 'first aid' skill if you guys haven't noticed I have changed it to a stimpak. Yes, something similar to the ones in the Fallout series just to make things more believable. In addition, skills like 'smart cover' I might take it out of the story as well since I could not think of anyway possible in the near future how just sticking a device on whatever you are taking cover would immediately boost its durability or effectiveness. Unless any of you can give me some sort of idea how I could make it realistic enough to be in this story, you guys probably won't get to read it in action.**

 **Do let me know what you guys think!**

 **Please Read and review! Constructive criticism/advice will be most appreciated! If there are any typos, or plot holes that you guys find, do let me know in the reviews so I can change them if I can and I'll credit you for it too! Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Tom Clancy's: The Division. That right belongs to Ubisoft. Everything mentioned in this story is for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

I couldn't shake the eerie sense of foreboding as I made my way out of Hudson Piers. It was slight, but still held an inkling at back of my mind. I had already seen New York in its desolate state from the helicopter, and trust me; It looked bad already. But I had a feeling that what I was to face on the ground was going to become much worse.

As I exited the staff entrance of the decontamination tent, I couldn't help but cringe at the long line of civilians that were clogged up in a narrow passage meant for potentially contaminated persons. From what I could gather from the staff, these people were more or less stuck in an incrementally moving line since the medical check-ups and decontamination process was comprehensive lengthy; It was too much of a big risk to allow diseased persons to gain access to a JTF base and potentially infecting the whole task force. And the people who did manage to pass through the checks and decontamination process wouldn't find much within either. It was relatively safer since rioters didn't dare to attack such a fortified place, but the daily rations and limited tentages meant that the unlucky civilians had to sleep out under the god damn snow.

I shook my head and carried on. There wasn't much we could do anyway until we set up our base of operations and got things going. I hadn't even started contemplating until I stepped out of the main gates…

"What. The. Fuck?" I muttered.

Right in front of me was what remained of the old Camp Hudson. Fuck, it wasn't even a camp at all, it was a god damn graveyard! Somehow, I was glad it was the beginning of winter. The cold helped to dampen the smell of the rotting corpses that still littered the area in their body bags, but it didn't make the smell any less pungent. The situation must have been worse than we thought if the JTF didn't even have the manpower to at least dispose the bodies. Instinctively, I opened my go-bag and put on my face mask. The smell went away thanks to the micro-filters which eliminated any contaminates and odors, but the smell would forever stay in my mind.

Not wanting to stay any longer, I pushed forward through the mess of body bags, collapsed tents and ransacked boxes and containers. Although still under the control of the JTF, it was still practically no man's land and any person who got desperate enough would be willing to take a shot at their fellow human just to survive. So I slung my trusty M4A1 carbine forward and kept it on guard in front of me.

Exiting the ruined tentages, I stepped out into what was known as Chelsea. In my opinion, it looked exactly as I had seen in countless apocalypse-themed movies and games. Never in my life had I thought I would see it for real myself. Well, If there was one thing those movie directors got it right, it was the environment and setting that was so eerily similar to what I was seeing now. What was surprising, though, was that electricity was still operational. The street lights and neon signs were still lit up for some reason. I filed that fact away for later. Now was the time to get moving to the post office.

I held up my smartwatch, "map." I muttered.

Instantaneously, in true three dimensions and in orange pixels, a holographic map of New York burst into view. Thanks to the information I obtained from Marion Hamplestein, I had key points of interest marked across the area of Chelsea. Using the watch's screen as a pad, I keyed in the coordinates of the post office and the GPS system took care of the rest. An orange highlighted route came into view. Now I just had to follow the line to my destination. God, I love technology!

The streets were devoid of life. Well… not exactly. There were more people on the streets than I thought, and every block or so I would have come across at least two or three civilians. Most of them ran at the sight of me and my rifle. Understandable, especially since The Division wasn't supposed to be well-known to the general public. But hopefully that would change, and Division agents would come to be seen as heroes. Call me idealistic if you will, but I guess everyone wants to be a hero at some point. It was just about whether they had the power, ability and the willingness to do so.

An alarm from my smartwatch got my attention "Alert: Intercepting JTF radio traffic."

" _Taking small arms fire… small arms fire! Looters have us in their sights! Any JTF personnel out there hearing this, please respond!_ "

"Shit!" I swore. "ISAC, track distress call; Patch into JTF network!"

"Tracking…" ISAC beeped as I broke into a running pace, "Location traced, routing to destination. Communications patched."

The distance that was displayed at the corner of my vision showed that it was just down the next block. "This is Agent Lee Davis from Strategic Homeland Division!" I called out. "I'm less than a block away, coming up from the west."

" _Corporal Gaines here! Looters have us outnumbered two to one!"_ Came the reply. " _We're holding them off with fire superiority but our ammo can't last us much longer!"_

"Alright. I'm about fifty meters away. Keep up the suppressive fire and I'll find a way to outflank them."

" _Roger that! Hurry, please!_ "

What looked like a JTF checkpoint at a traffic intersection came into view and I could see the silhouettes of the JTF soldiers running past the barriers as bullets whizzed past. Looking around, I saw an open alleyway to my left and dashed in. It was time to put the good old tech to proper use. As I turned the corner at the alley towards the direction of the sounds of the firefight I pressed the top right button of my smartwatch.

Immediately, a wave pulsed from my position and briefly engulfed everything in its path with its orange hue. Within seconds of exiting the alleyway, I ducked behind one of the many abandoned cars for cover and turned towards the direction of the battle. Red highlights indicating the eight potential hostiles and four green highlights which indicated the JTF friendlies blipped in my heads up display. Now, I managed to get behind the rioters and they were now sandwiched between me and the Guardsmen.

"Gaines! Cease fire and take cover!" I radioed, "When you hear an explosion, that's your signal to let loose with everything you got!"

" _Roger that! Everyone ceasefire!_ "

With the sudden rush of adrenaline, I popped out from behind cover with my M4 at the ready, took aim at the nearest thug and let loose a three-round burst. A millisecond later, he dropped dead and his fellow rioters were suddenly in a state of panic, whirling around to find the perpetrator that got behind them. In the ensuing confusion, I managed to drop another two more guys who idiotically popped their heads behind cover before a hail of bullets forced me to duck. Now that I had evened the odds, I grabbed a grenade attached to the sling of my go-bag and threw it in the general direction of where the bullets were coming from.

"Shit! Grena-" *BOOM*

"Gaines! Hit it!" I hollered.

" _Open fire!_ "

Another hail of bullets engulfed the atmosphere as I stayed behind a car, peeking it out just enough to see the rest of the thugs save for one get cut down before they could even sound a retreat. The last guy ran past my position in panic shooting his firearm blindly behind him, before I took out my pistol and put a bullet through his back.

The sound of gunshots died down back into silence, and I smiled to myself as I heard the JTF squad cheered. "Corporal Gaines, I'm coming from the direction where these guys ran. Don't shoot."

" _Roger that._ "

I climbed out from behind the car and calmly made my way towards the checkpoint. The three men and one woman turned towards my direction with smiles on their faces. "Agent Davis," Gaines, a lanky lad who looked no older than twenty-one, greeted with a firm handshake. "Thanks for helping us out there. For a moment I thought we were goners. You Division guys sure arrived with a bang huh?"

"It's all I could do Corporal." I smiled, returning the greeting. "I'm glad I could help out. I was just on my way to the post office when I heard your distress call."

"Well I'm glad you arrived when you did. These guys have been getting bolder recently ever since a large group of them took over Madison Square Garden." He sighed exasperatedly.

"Madison Square Garden?" I enquired. "Isn't that beside the post office?"

"Yeah, but recently a whole whole mob of rioters took over the place. Until recently it was called the Madison Field Hospital until they trashed the place. Most of the civilians in there were slaughtered save a handful, but I think more than a few of the medical staff were spared."

I cursed under my breath. "Are there any plans to retake the hospital?

"Well, we could. But without Captain Benitez leading us no one's been able to step up to organize things. His right hand man Lieutenant Blake is trying his best back at Camp Hudson, but the guy he put in charge here is simply trying to maintain the status quo. We have the manpower, but that would mean drawing guardsmen like us away from our checkpoints and risk more looters and the like getting into our territory."

"Alright then. If it makes you feel better, us agents will be working together with you JTF guys now. Continue to man your posts in the meantime, I need to get to the post office."

"Will do, agent. See you!" The corporal waved as I turned to leave. I decided to contact Faye.

"Faye, you reading me?"

" _Yeah, Davis. What's the situation?_ "

"I'm less than a couple hundred metres away from the post office. You mind contacting them for me to prepare for arrival?"

" _Sure thing. Hold on… Patching you in. Dispatch? This is Division Agent Faye Lau, empowered and authorised by Executive Order and DHS Directive 51._ "

The message was met by a voice sounding over the background of gunshots. I groaned inwardly. Looks like I was getting thrown in the frying pan again. Sometimes I wondered if it would have been better if I got my leg broken instead!

" _Whoever you are, we're under an all-out assault! I'm not sure how much help you'll – Argh – ah, screw it, we'll take anything you can give us! How are you on my comms?!"_

Once again, I broke into a run at a steady pace so as not to tire myself out when I got there. " _We've got your back. Just try not to shoot at anyone who's trying to help you. Over."_ Running past another intersection, I leapt over car hoods and concrete barriers as I saw tracer rounds being fired back and forth. Where the hell did these lowlifes even got tracers in the first place?! Instinctively, I activated another pulse and the green and red highlights again showed up in front of me.

" _Unit fourty three? Be advised, you have incoming Division agents as backup to your location."_

" _About damn time you got us some help! Get 'em here right now!_

I deadpanned. What was I? Chopped liver?! So I decided to make myself known.

"This is Division Agent Lee Davis coming in from your three o'clock so don't shoot here! I want fire superiority and keep them suppressed while I flank them, is that clear?"

I was met with a multitude of acknowledgements in reply and I dashed forward placing a three-round burst into the ribs of an unsuspecting rioter. In true movie-style fashion, I dived behind a concrete barrier and threw another frag grenade as I completed my roll. The grenade rolled under a white civic where some were hiding and the resulting detonation caused the car to explode, jumping a couple of feet in the air; as well as some bits and pieces of looters. For the next few minutes, I continued to pop out of cover and felled a couple more of the bastards before they noticed me and started returning fire.

"Fuck!" I cursed as bits of concrete hit my face. "They've noticed me! Hit them while I've got their attention damn it!"

I didn't know if the guy in charge of the squad was being dazed out of his skull, but luckily he managed to at least do something useful. "Foster, we need support on the stairs. Martinez, move up on the flank! Go! Go! Go!"

Once the bullets stopped I dashed forward again before I was back in their sights. Coming up behind a broken down ice cream truck, I peered from the corner and noticed a few more charging down the steps. It seemed they were trying to get into the post office through force. Cocky bastards. Another aimed burst and I took out the lead man running towards the JTF squad. The next moment, the rest of the hostiles faltered and started running away; to the direction of the Madison Field Hospital.

"Their falling back to Madison Square!" I hollered, "Cut them down and don't let them regroup!" A mass hail of fire was my answer and within seconds the rest of the gangsters fell into lifeless heaps. Before long, silence again reigned the atmosphere. I got out from behind cover and met up with Bravo Squad.

" _Dispatch? Situation outside is now under control. My official report? The Division saved our sorry asses."_

" _Thanks for the report Bravo squad. Uh, stay alert and keep it frosty. I'm glad you made it."_

"What? No thanks or worry for me? I'm scandalised. Scandalised I tell you!" I exaggerated for comical effect.

The rest of Bravo squad laughed while Dispatch stuttered an apology. "Faye? We got the situation under control. No casualties." I radioed.

" _Great. I'm coming round the corner. Standby."_ Within a minute, a khaki green Humvee with its sides emblazoned with a large 'JTF' came into view and stopped in front of the entrance. Faye got out as did an EMT who ran over to her side to support her. Her head wounds were wrapped in clean new bandages and her left leg was in a cast. Truthfully? I was surprised she didn't need crutches. A strong one, she was.

"So, tell me again why I'm the one who has to walk all the way here while you get a free ride on one of the remaining vehicles still operational?" I grinned.

Faye simply smirked in return. "Hey, if you want to try getting your head banged up and a broken leg, be my guest."

"I think I'll pass. Come on, I'll help you in. you can go back now Corporal, I'll take it from here."

As the Humvee drove back to Camp Hudson, I placed my arm around her waist and one of hers over my shoulder as we made out way through the decontamination cell.

"Hey Davis," she quipped. "Bad news – I'm not going to be able to get out there. Not with my goddamn leg like this."

"Well, thank you Mrs obvious! OOF!" I wheezed as she socked my stomach with her free hand. She landed a mean punch!

"Smartass… Anyway, I'll do what I can from here, but it's not the same." I saw her expression harden. "You have no idea how much I wanted to be in the field. I trained for a scenario like this my entire life. But it's worse than anything we could have imagined."

"Well," I sighed. "Things never go the way you planned them. I'm pretty sure any worst case scenario the government planned wasn't as bad as this. Look, you're not helpless and you could still do something useful. This place needs a Division liaison anyway."

"And what? Let people talk me to death? Ugh…" She groaned, rolling her eyes. There was a brief silence as we finally got through the contamination cell and made our way into the building proper. "You know how they won't let you get too close to anyone? So it won't mess you up when you're finally activated?"

I raised a brow at the unusual question. "Yeah, part of CIA training one-oh-one. I bet none of us going through the training actually took it seriously though. Most of us who got selected still had family and loved ones still around."

"Well, I did that. And it didn't fucking work!" She spat. "I'm attached. These are my people. This is my city. And we're taking it back! Urk-!" She cringed in pain and bent forwards. Probably a cracked rib that the EMT's may have had missed out on. She was going to need a proper doctor pronto.

"Look, you need to-" I started.

"Yeah, okay… okay. I'm fine. Now let's rebuild our base. Let's go and have a look around and do this."

"No need to tell me twice."

* * *

 **A/N: And CUT! I know this chapter is probably slightly shorter than the previous one. But I do hope it satisfies you all to some degree. Do remember to Read and Review! Please favorite and/or follow if you guys like it! :)**

 **Cheerio!**


	6. Christmas Presents

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for making you guys wait so long. AGAIN. Life's being a bitch an all with work so I'm trying to find time at each end of the day to write each chapter bit by bit. AGAIN. I apologise if the chapter is short. AGAIN. My attention span is not very long and my ideas are always fleeting so I can only write for short bursts at a time before hitting a micro-writer's block. AGAIN.**

 **Yes, I hate myself for being all this and more as a writer. Do let me know in the comment section if the posts are still too short for your liking. Sorry for not having any action in this chapter. But I promise the next one will definitely have some.**

 **Please Read and review! Constructive criticism/advice will be most appreciated! If there are any typos, or plot holes that you guys find, do let me know in the reviews so I can change them if I can and I'll credit you for it too! Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Tom Clancy's: The Division. That right belongs to Ubisoft. Everything mentioned in this story is for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

A mess. That's what this place was.

JTF personnel and civilians sleeping or resting on the bare floors; trash littering around and gathering on the corners; one side of the lobby all trashed up it acted like a barricade of sorts and prevented anyone from using. Faye and I were shocked at the depressing state it was in. The post office is a huge complex and didn't it occur to these people that there were extra floors and rooms that could be repurposed for something else? It was a headache to see.

Something I noticed was the way the JTF personnel were looking at us. Some had a look of hope in their eyes. Others seemed to see us with fear, trepidation and caution. Which made me wonder what did the first wave of agents do to generate such feelings towards us? If Faye noticed, she didn't show it.

We asked around who was in charge at the moment and they pointed us to the JTF officer who was manning the comms as dispatch. I asked why he was the one manning the radio if he could have been doing something else like organising the whole complex for better use. His reply was "No one is willing to do anything past what we've been doing for the past week. Especially since without Captain Benitez, the talk of pulling out of New York entirely is running rampant. I've tried to do damage control but it I've got too much on my hands."

"Well you can start by telling your people that no one is pulling out and we're going to get Captain Benitez back with us." Faye retorted. "You think you can do that? Now give me a sitrep. Everything you know, now."

After 'interrogating' the poor officer, we found ourselves a corner in the middle of the lobby where we could do some planning.

"Okay." Faye started, "We need our base up and running, and we need to show the people of New York they're getting their city back. Our base of operations has potential, but right now it's a piece of shit and we've got no one to staff it."

"Heh, got that right." I agreed. "Without a real leader like Benitez they've got no direction on what to do. Then again, I don't think he would know how to organise the medical or engineering staff either."

"Right. So to get this place where it needs to be, we need people who know what they're doing. Like doctors. There's a virologist running a field hospital over at Madison Square Garden, but the whole area's gone to shit. With her, we can get our medical facilities back online. Without her…"

"People starting to get sick, it slowly spreads to everyone in this compound and the whole JTF falls apart. Battle of attrition with other gangs and criminals notwithstanding."

"Exactly. The medical wing is a wreck right now. Once we get that virologist over here, we can build up a staff, investigate the origin of the virus, and start getting more supplies – for civilians, but for us as well. So that will be our first priority. But without intel, we can't do anything yet. I'll try to squeeze some more information from the rest of the JTF staff as well as get some data and help from HQ once I contact them." She pulled out a laptop emblazoned with the SHD logo and turned it on. "In the meantime, I'm gonna see if I can get some help setting up the satellite dish."

"Alright. What about Benitez?" I enquired.

"As fas as we know, Benitez is out in the field and he's gone offline. I'll see if I can do some datamining to determine his last known location. As soon as the intel is available, bring him back. We need him to set up a functional security wing, and it'll do hell of a lot for morale. The JTF love the guy – he can mobilise them and help us get the intel and the firepower we need to get all the hostiles off the streets. God knows we're not inspiring any volunteers to the cause yet."

"So you've seen the looks we were getting too?"

"Yeah. But anyway, we've also got to restore basic services. We need power and the intel the grid can give us. They had a guy working on that – but it sounds like he ran into trouble patching us in. without him, it's lights out. Especially the tech wing. It's obviously seen better days, but if you can get Rhodes back here, he's apparently got a few tricks up his sleeve. Former PMC, I think – knows more than you think he does. I suspect he'll be very useful. Again, no intel on him or his location. The good thing is that for some reason power is still available more or less throughout the city. Thanks to the smart city programme, with time I'll be able to hack into the grid and find out more, then I'll give you an update."

I chuckled at the bad pun. Faye herself even gave a self-congratulatory smirk. If anything, at least it broke the monotony of seriousness. "Well it seems this Rhodes guy seems like an interesting fellow. Can't wait to meet him."

"Well I'm sure the both of you will hit it off nicely. Now, ISAC can map itself to each of the wings in the base and sync their progress, so we can have a bigger picture of what's happening here. And the more stable this base is, the better shape the city will be in."

"This Shade tech can do that?"

"I can configure it do as such. I got a master's degree in software engineering so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Alright, whatever you say. So what am I going to do?"

"For now, I need you to just find out what you can about the situation of the immediate area. Secure supply drops, help with virus data collection, help to clamp down on gang and criminal activity around Chelsea and here around Pennsylvania Plaza. Stuff like that."

"Alright then. I better get started. See you around."

"Remember, they're counting on us. Let's not let them down."

* * *

I decided to go back to Camp Hudson and start from there. The rationale was that once the Chelsea area was pacified, then the supply route from there to the post office would be halfway less dangerous and susceptible to ambush tactics by rioters. By doing so, it should lower down the danger level considerably for both JTF and civilians, making it easier to clean the streets, get rid of the festering bodies and obtain supplies. Luckily, I managed to hitch a ride on a Humvee going back to the piers from a fellow Bravo Squad member whom was grateful for my assist when I first arrived. Reaching the camp, I checked in on Lieutenant Blake in his command tent.

"Lieutenant Blake?"

"Ah yes. Good to see you again agent." The officer greeted. "I want to say thanks for helping out at the post office. We're already stretched thin as it is; moving men away from the checkpoints to protect the base was already costing us border security in our territory."

"No problem Lieutenant. Just doing my job." I replied. "How are things holding up at your end?"

"Well, Not much. We're still having supply problems and looters and rioters running amok in the streets. But it should get better soon. I've pulled back our security forces and placed checkpoints surrounding Chelsea and Pennsylvania Plaza. With less area to cover, we have more manpower to patrol the streets."

"That's good. And I'll be here to handle anything that's above what your guys can or are willing to do. Anywhere I can start?"

"Again, look for Sergeant Hamplestein. She's lived around Chelsea and knows the area better than I do. She'll know what's going on."

"Hey! How's it going Madam Hamplestein?" I smiled walked up to her tent. She looked up from her radio set and waved back.

"Hello Agent! So good to see you! I heard the fight that went on at the post office and I'm glad everything's okay. Your partner doing alright?"

"Yeah she's fine. But she won't be able to go out into the field for now. She's running things from there while I'm here to do the dirty work, with her injuries and all."

She gave a sympathetic look. "Oh, you poor boy! Going out and doing all the hard work. Here, let me make you a cup of coffee; should warm you up abit."

"Thanks!" I replied, while she began tearing a sachet of three-in-one coffee into a mug and pouring hot water from a thermos. "So I'm gonna be in the area for a while to help out. Is there anything in the immediate area I should know about?"

"Well," she began, putting the mug on the table. I took a sip of the refreshingly warm drink; coffee was hard to come by these days and I haven't had one for a couple of weeks now. "We have a… technical problem that I haven't been able to get done because of a lack of manpower. Someone's messing with the antennas on top of a building at West twenty-fourth street; and I bet you're handy with an antenna! Such a smartie, all that education. Could you be a dear and fix it for a lady?"

"Well, if it's for a lady like you Marion, why not? Shouldn't be that hard: Intercept the power grid and fix whatever's wrong with it" I chuckled with a smirk.

"Oh you!" She laughed, punching me lightly in the arm. "Such a lady killer! Now just let me get you the coordinates and off you go."

* * *

Once I got the coordinates, I made my way to leave the camp until someone called up from behind me. I turned around and saw Sergeant Jones; the National Guardsman I first met when I got off the chopper.

"Hey Sergeant. What's up?"

"We just got just had a shipment of supplies from the feds. Looks like you guys work quick. One of them black hawk helicopters came in and unloaded food, ammo and medical essentials for us. Things we've desperate to get. The men on board also said that as long as we had active Division agents on the ground, there'll be a regular supply."

I was pleasantly surprised. Seemed like Faye worked quick to contact HQ. "Wow, that's great!" I exclaimed. "Hope it does some good."

"Even better." He the African-American replied. "There's a special crate just for you guys. Got your SHD logo on it with some special lock. Follow me."

Inside the Quartermasters tent, it was obvious that more than a few crates full of supplies were handed out; During my tenure in the military, black hawks were sheer workhorses. Sergeant Jones pointed out the matte black crate and I knelt down the take a closer look.

"Division Tech Crate identified." ISAC chimed. "Place smartwatch near lock to unlatch."

I did as was told. Then with a loud click, the latches unlocked themselves. I cautiously opened the crate, couldn't be too careful.

"Woah…" Sergeant Jones exclaimed intelligently.

"Scanning… XM32 Grenade Launcher Modules identified. Usable with either High-Explosive ammunition or Shade Tech sticky bombs which can be remotely detonated. Can be used as single unit or used as underslung-attachment to any assault weapon. Scanning… Shade Tech high strength, light weight, titanium and carbon-fibre weave ballistic shield. In detracted position when not in use. Press button on handle to protract."

I stared at the equipment in awe. This was more than anything I could expect! We were told during training that Shade Tech was the company that produced our smartwatches. But I never thought they could manufacture such advanced equipment. Picking up the ballistic shield, I revelled in how light it was. My only worry was whether it could stand up to more than just pistol rounds. Its retracted position was simply a thick plate as which was way wider than my shoulders with an arm strap and handle running along its length. Eager to test it out, I slotted my hand through the strap, gripped the handle and pressed the button at the top of the handle with my thumb.

*SHINK*SHINK*SHINK*

Immediately, the shield protracted itself with thrice the length of the main plate extending downward until it covered past my knees and a see through bullet-resistant face shield extending upwards until it covered my face. Again, it wasn't unwieldy, the center of gravity was well placed and although I would only be able to use my sidearm effectively, I felt this would be great to use in a pinch.

"Hell, You've got to get us some of that." Jones exclaimed.

"Sorry, Division use only." I shrugged. "I'm guessing you guys will need to distribute the supplies to the post office as well. Could you get this on the supply run to Agent Faye Lau?"

"Consider it done."

"Great. Thanks!" Grabbing a grenade launcher, the ballistic shield as well as a handful of HE grenades and sticky bombs, I instructed ISAC to lock up the crate again so as to prevent any of the tech being pilfered by any undesirable people.

Damn… Faye was so going to love this!


End file.
